Kessler Foundation and University of New Hampshire release nTIDE Report – Monthly Update

East Hanover, NJ – August 3, 2018. Job numbers declined again for Americans with Disabilities last month, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Despite the second month of downturns, experts remain optimistic about future job gains as the labor market continues to tighten.

Accommodations are an important factor in the successful hiring of people with disabilities, and in the retention of employees who develop new disabilities. Employers that are open to providing accommodations and have the capability to provide them, will have greater success in meeting their need for staffing.

In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released Friday, August 3, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities decreased from 29.7 percent in July 2017 to 29.3 percent in July 2018 (-0.4 percentage points; down -1.3 percent). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio increased from 74.1 percent in July 2017 to 74.7 percent in July 2018 (+0.6 percentage points; up 0.8 percent). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“From February 2016 until May 2018, we saw steady improvement in the employment situation for people with disabilities. However, for the past two months, we have seen slight declines in their employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation rate,” according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation. “This downturn is disappointing, but given the tight labor market, we may yet see further improvement for Americans with disabilities.”

In addition, the labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities decreased from 33.1 percent in July 2017 to 32.4 percent in July 2018 (-0.7 percentage points, down -2.1 percent). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 77.6 percent in July 2017 to 77.7 percent in July 2018 (+0.1 percentage points; up 0.1 percent). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work.

Working-age people who sustain a disabling illness or injury face major decisions about staying in their jobs or returning to the workforce after treatment and/or rehabilitation. The availability of accommodations may be a major influence in their decision to return to their current job or seek new employment. In 2017, Kessler Foundation released survey findings that revealed useful data about workplace practices for accommodating employees with disabilities.

According to the Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey: Supervisor Perspectives, 66 percent of employers have implemented a process to provide requested accommodations. Of the 3,000 supervisors surveyed, 96 percent found these processes effective, according to Dr. O’Neill, a survey co-author. “The 34 percent of employers who lack an accommodations process clearly have an opportunity to improve their hiring and retention of people with disabilities by implementing a process for requesting accommodations,” he noted. The majority of supervisors (96 percent) also responded favorably to having access to a centralized accommodations fund to help them provide requested accommodations. Only a small percentage of employers – 16 percent – have such funds, however. “This highlights another opportunity for the majority of employers,” Dr. O’Neill emphasized. “Setting up such a fund would facilitate the provision of accommodations, and help supervisors keep employees in their jobs.”

In July 2018, among workers ages 16-64, the 4,424,000 workers with disabilities represented 3 percent of the total 147,354,000 workers in the U.S.

The next nTIDE will be issued on Friday, September 7, 2018.

Join our nTIDE Lunch & Learn series today, August 3, at 12:00 pm Eastern. This live broadcast, hosted via Zoom Webinar, offers attendees Q&A on the latest nTIDE findings, provides news and updates from the field, as well as invited panelists to discuss current disability-related findings and events. Katie Morrison, MPP, from Mathematica Policy Research will join Dr. Houtenville, Dr. O’Neill, and Denise Rozell, policy strategist at AUCD, to discuss employers' perspectives on accommodating and retaining employees with newly acquired disabilities. Join live, or watch the recordings at: www.ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE.

NOTE: The statistics in the nTIDE are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, but are not identical. They are customized by UNH to combine the statistics for men and women of working age (16 to 64). NTIDE is funded, in part, by grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (9ORT5022 and 90RT5017) and Kessler Foundation.

About Kessler Foundation

Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes -- including employment -- for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.KesslerFoundation.org.

About the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire

The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. For information on the NIDILRR-funded Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, visit www.ResearchonDisability.org.

For more information, or to interview an expert, contact:
Carolann Murphy, 973.324.8382, CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org.